Symposium Tackles Europe’s Youth Jobless Crisis
Read All PostsTop Government, Business Leaders Share Best Practice Solutions
A one-day symposium held in Madrid explored a range of strategies to address the unparalleled youth jobless crisis in Europe and beyond. “La crisis del empleo juvenil en Espana … y el mundo,” which attracted top government, corporate, and civic leaders from Spain and around the world, was hosted by the Secretaria General Iberoamericano (SEGIB), Organizacion Iberoamericano de Juventud (OIJ), and the International Youth Foundation (IYF). Among the speakers were Enrique V. Iglesias, Secretary General of SEGIB; Juan Manuel Moreno, Secretary of State for Social Services (Spain); Alejo Ramírez, Secretary General of OIJ; and William S. Reese, President and CEO of IYF. Representatives from the private sector included business leaders from Laureate, Accenture, Hilton, Microsoft, and Telefonica.
While acknowledging there are no easy solutions, Mr. Iglesias underscored the need for action to curb youth unemployment in Spain and across Latin America. “This current crisis reveals the vulnerability of the vast majority of youth who cannot find their first jobs,” he said, calling on governments, education systems, and the private sector to take greater responsibility for addressing the problem. Not finding solutions, he said, “undermines the social contract that is necessary to live in peace.” Mr. Iglesias also stressed the positive role that today’s young people can play in the social and economic revitalization of their communities. “Youth are the protagonists who are taking to the streets and involving themselves in building our present and our future.”
Europe’s overall unemployment is at an all time high, with the region’s youth particularly hard hit. The youth unemployment rate in Spain has reached 56 percent, even though nearly 40 percent of that country’s 20-and early-30-year-olds are college educated. In Greece, the youth jobless rate is even higher, at over 62 percent.
During a lively examination of how to reshape that reality, policy makers, government officials, NGO leaders, and youth shared their expertise, best practices, and lessons learned around youth employment, and promoted tested, sustainable solutions to the crisis. For example, entra21—a comprehensive IYF employment initiative in Latin America that has prepared more than 137,000 young people for jobs across the region—was introduced as a best practice initiative that has been adapted for implementation worldwide. Discussions were also held around the New Employment Opportunities (NEO) initiative, a public-private partnership in Latin America that aims to prepare one million youth for jobs over the next decade. To reach that goal, the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has brokered an alliance with IYF; companies that include Caterpillar, Microsoft, Walmart, Cemex, and Arcos Dorados; and governments and civil society organizations throughout the region.
“IYF sees the largest cohort of young people in our history as a potential demographic dividend, but only if societies can prepare this younger generation to enter and be successful in the 21st century economy,” said Bill Reese, President and CEO of IYF. Noting IYF’s extensive global experience in building multi-sector partnerships to address rising youth employment, Mr. Reese added: “The leaders here today—from all sectors of society—represent the kind of partners we need to maximize this demographic opportunity. To miss this chance,” he warned, “is to risk societal security and prosperity now and for years to come.”